The Charade Is Over

"How is it possible that I didn't know about this??" Your friend stopped you dead in the halls of the school and you rolled your eyes.

"Because it's not a big thing, okay?" you uttered back, impatiently.

"It is a big thing, alright? You are tutoring Billy's little sister?!"

"Step sister, don't let him hear you say otherwise" you snapped back and you started to walk again.

"But you're in his house, like, is he there a lot? C'mon, give me something!" she pleaded urgently.

"Fuck off okay? He's an asshole." you looked up to where your locker was a growled with annoyance.

"See, exhibit A" you pointed at your locker where Billy was stood leaning against it, his hand placed on the chin of yet another random girl, smiling that honey drenched smile and you rolled your eyes again as you noticed she was lapping it up, you stormed over to your locker and flung it open, shoving Billy to the side and the door made a small clank as hit his elbow with force.

"Ow, hey, fucking watch it" he snapped before looking at you, he pressed his lips together with annoyance as his eyes fell upon you.

"Go scam elsewhere, please. Some of us actually want to be here and don't just use the school as hook up central" you said, not meeting his look and grabbing your books.

"Lighten up, Jesus" he grumbled as he threw his arm around the girl's shoulders, and she giggled pathetically.

"Mhm." you hummed back and you shoved your books in your bag and threw it onto your shoulder.

"Do I have the pleasure of your company tonight?" Billy asked you sarcastically, his lips pulled up into a sneer.

"Unfortunately not, sadly I have a date. Tell Max...oh wait, you don't talk to Max unless you're being a jerk. So, I'll just call. Later."

You turned on your heels and walked off towards your next class and you heard him scoff with vexation. Most people who knew you knew that you and Billy didn't get along, to say the least, something about him just rubbed you up the wrong way, he had an arrogant attitude and a bad temper without explanation or reason, you had tried to get along with him when you'd met him at a party when he'd first moved here, just like the rest of the girls in your classes, you'd thought he was hot, but when you found out about him beating up Steve Harrington, you were practically the only one who hadn't high fived him or patted him on the back for it.

*

"Why did you say you had a date when you don't?" your friend asked you, it was lunch time and you were splitting cigarettes, you had laid down on the hood of your car and stretched out, the rare afternoon sun on your face and your eyes closed behind your sunglasses.

"Because." you shrugged.

"Becauuuuuse?" she fired back and you shifted in your position.

"I didn't want to say, sorry I'm not coming tutoring because I have to paint the fucking kitchen, did I? How pathetic does that make me sound? The guy already gives me enough shit" you snipped, taking a long drag of your cigarette.

"Why do you care?" her question caused you to grimace.

"I don't" you answered abruptly.

"You don't?" she said, suspiciously

"Nope." you replied apathetically as you flicked your cigarette butt away.

Later on that night you were in the convenience store, after getting halfway through decorating the kitchen you had needed a break and cigarettes. You were dressed in an oversized t-shirt that was covered in duck egg blue paint, pedal pusher leggings and your hair scraped up into a messy bun, paint splattered all over your face, arms and clothes. You scanned the shelves for something to eat and hummed along to the music playing through the speakers, you grabbed a pack of chips and wandered towards the cashier's desk but froze on the spot when you saw Billy walk in, his arm wrapped around the same girl from earlier and he was whispering something in her ear, causing her to snigger flirtatiously.